Not Alone
by knAngel18
Summary: Clank's thoughts after he and Ratchet said goodbye to each other in the Great Clock at the end of ACiT.


**I don't really know why I wrote this. I just got a sudden burst of inspiration as I watched the end of ACiT again and this drabble-ish oneshot is the result. This isn't meant to be a slash fic (more like a Ratchet/Clank friendship/brotherly fic) but reading through it, I know it could kinda be interpreted that way so think whatever you like. Hope you enjoy!**

"Take care of yourself, pal."

Clank watched in silence as Ratchet gave him one last small smile before he turned and walked away.

Clank's mind was in complete turmoil.

He stood there for a few seconds more before he turned away and walked toward the control panel. Ratchet had left him there. Without even putting up a fight. Part of him was happy that his friend respected him and his decision to stay so much.

But the other part, the part that knew everything about his Lombax friend, couldn't help but see the deep chasm of loneliness and pain, trying its best to hide behind those green eyes but failing miserably.

He hopped up onto the chair and reached forward toward the button that would restart the recorded holo-message of his father, his final instructions to his one and only son. His father. Until just a few weeks ago, he had been completely ignorant to the fact that he even _had_ a father. He just assumed that he was created by his mother in that robot factory on Planet Quartu. To say the news came as a shock was an understatement.

But it was a pleasant surprise, nonetheless. He now knew without a doubt that he also had father who had loved him and cared for his well-being. The thought warmed something in him that he didn't even know he had. And when he found out his true purpose in this universe he thought he had been ready to take up the mantel of Senior Care Taker to the Great Clock. It was what he had been made for, after all.

Finding out that Ratchet had found another of his species during his travels helped solidify his decision. The one thing the young Lombax had wanted his whole life, more than anything else, was now within his reach. He saw how happy Ratchet was, finally finding someone who not only could answer all his questions, but he could connect with on a much deeper level than anyone else in this universe. Clank was happy for him.

But then Azimuth killed Ratchet in cold blood.

Ratchet didn't remember this, of course, and Clank would never tell him what actually happened on that fateful day. He just...couldn't. Even the memory of seeing his friend hit with that energy bolt, pure shock filling his young features before his expression went slack, and falling over the edge of the platform still twisted up his insides and choked up his vocal conductors. No, Ratchet doesn't need to know. It's bad enough that he was betrayed at all. Clank could see how depressed it made him. And how could he blame him? His one chance of finally reconnecting with his long lost family was now gone. Even if Alister Azimuth had survived that energy surge from the clock, there would have been no going back to way things were. The hurt from that betrayal ran too deep.

And now his best friend, no, his brother (because they were brothers, even if neither of them would ever admit it) was leaving him. Alone.

Alone. He wasn't quite acquainted with the word like Ratchet was. He had met the Lombax soon after he had first awakened in that robot factory and they had been together ever since. No, before today he had never truly _felt_ lonely. He could always count on Ratchet to be there when he needed him, and vice versa. Watching his best friend walk away from him, that foreign feeling wasn't so foreign anymore.

He knew Ratchet had been alone most of his life and that loneliness had turned him bitter and selfish. But Clank always knew, under all those tough and stubborn layers, Ratchet had a kind heart, and as time passed, that kindness began to shine through more and more. He liked to think he played some part in that change.

What would become of him now, though? Would he go back to planet Veldin, returning to his solitude? Would he go back to his old ways, that loneliness corrupting his personality once again, making him bitter? Or worse, would he go on dangerous adventures without someone there to help him and temper his reckless personality? Clank shuddered at the thought of all the trouble his friend could find himself in.

He pressed the button but he already knew his heart wasn't in it. He heard the holo-message start up behind him and the image of his farther started talking, continuing from the place right before Nefarious came and unplugged the machine.

" _The clock, just like time itself, is a gift-_ "

He barely registered his hand moving and pressing down on the button, once again cutting his father's message short. "I cannot stay."

How could he not have realized it sooner? Ratchet needed him, now more than ever, and he could never leave him in this dark time of his life. Also, he realized, he needed Ratchet in his life just as much.

He jumped off the chair and faced the frozen visage of his father. "I am sorry but discovering my family has made me realize that I cannot leave Ratchet. At least... not until he finds his own. I hope you understand."

"You're leaving?" He turned toward Sigmund, who had come to float next to him. The other robot pulled out his personal computer and began calculating figures. "Energy output normal, harmonic stabilizers stable." Sigmund turned to face him again, almost looking confused. "Why aren't I freaking out?"

Clank walked over to the Chronoscepter, his symbol of status as the senior caretaker, one of the few possessions his father had left him, and picked it up from where it was leaning against the computer console. "Perhaps," He said as he handed it over to the other robot, "you are ready to be promoted."

Sigmund looked upon the scepter in his hands in pure awe. "Senior... caretaker?" He said, his astonishment clear in his voice. A smile broke out across his mechanical face and he gave a loud cheer as he did a spin in the air. "Thank you, sir!" He said facing Clank once again.

Looking at Sigmund holding his father's scepter proudly, he knew that the clock would be in good hands. "Take care, Sigmund."

He turned and began running for the door, not looking back, even when he heard his father begin speaking again. He didn't hear what was said, but it didn't matter to him at the moment. All that mattered was getting to Ratchet's ship before the Lombax took off.

Luckily for him, it was stationed close to the entrance of the time chamber. Ratchet was already inside and the ship was powered up and ready to go. When the top hatch began closing he put on another dose of speed. If he timed it just right he could-made it! He jumped and landed right on the passenger's seat with not a second to spare.

He would never forget the shocked-turned-happy look that appeared on Ratchet's face when he realized that Clank had changed his mind. His heart ached while simultaneously filling with joy at the sight. Not a word was spoken between them but they didn't have to actually speak. Ratchet's grateful look said everything that he needed to say and more.

They turned away from each other. Clank couldn't keep the smile off of his metal face as he reclined in his seat and Ratchet grabbed hold of the yoke with both hands, new excitement and determination shinning in his eyes. With a sharp jolt Aphelion burst forward, sending them up and up into space. Where they were going? Clank didn't know, but it doesn't really matter does it? As long as they were together, it didn't matter at all.


End file.
